This volume proposes the typology of the new subsistence state as a conceptual tool for understanding governance challenges typically faced in jurisdictions characterised by subsistence social and economic relations. Nixon then examines ways in which the case-study of East Timor conforms to the typology of the new subsistence state.

Focusing on the case study of Timor Leste, this book presents the New Subsistence State as a conceptual tool for understanding governance challenges in countries characterised by subsistence economic and social relations. It examines the ways in which Timor Leste conforms to the typology of the New Subsistence State, taking into consideration geographic, historical and socio-political aspects. The book defines a New Subsistence State as an overwhelmingly subsistence economy corresponding to little or no historical experience of the generation and administration of large surpluses, with...